Vyasa Puja offering 2020 for HH Srila Jayapataka Swami Guru Maharaj
by Kanu Pandit Das, Sydney
1980 – 2020
40 years in the shelter of Guru and Krishna in ISKCON: 40 years of mercy!
On the auspicious occasion of your appearance day, Guru Maharaj, I would like to express my gratitude to you, Guru Maharaj and to Srila Prabhupada and his great International Society for Krishna Consciousness, part of the greater Sankirtan movement of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu!
Forty years ago Lord Krishna saved me and shaved me, as Srila Prabhupada would sometimes jokingly say; I was already six years traveling around the world, as a backpacker; a hippie, not happy at all, suffering in the prison of the borders, not allowed to stay anywhere, trying to enjoy but also looking for what is the goal of life, until I finally got in contact with some of Srila Prabhupada’s books: Sri Isopanisad, the Perfection of Yoga and Meditation & Super Consciousness, where Srila Prabhupada very expertly explains Bhakti Yoga as:
transcendental loving service!
Finally, it was as a strong torchlight in the darkness of ignorance. I joined ISKCON in Lima, Peru in April 1980. In the first Guru Puja to Srila Prabhupada the devotees were offering a fresh garland to the picture of Srila Prabhupada. They put the old one around my neck. They were chanting and dancing in an ecstatic Kirtan. I felt for a moment my whole body shivering and with the hair on my arms standing on end…. what was going on? I wondered…. Srila Prabhupada’s mercy, so much mercy.
I was Bhakta Claude, really happy, no more anxiety, no more stupid things, back to a more inner conscience that this is good what I am doing.
In September 1980, at the first time you came to South America, in the first ever meeting I have with you, Guru Maharaj I asked you: ‘I still have a doubt, I still identify as French and sometimes I think, better I return to France and become a devotee there!’. You expertly told me: ‘no no, accept the plan of Krishna, it will be easier for you to start a new life here in Peru than to return to France, with your friends, your family and your attachments’. So I accepted this advise and you gave me initiation the day after, giving me the name Kanu Pandit Das. When you were leaving you approached me and told me: ‘now you don’t have to ask anything more from the iChing (Chinese Oracle method), you have to ask me now’. Thank you so much, Guru Maharaj. And yes, with time ISKCON in France went through so many problems, the Guru Bhagavan fell, and again you saved me, Guru Maharaj, thank you!
In 1985 in a class in Lima, Peru you invited all of us to the big Gaura Purnima festival in Mayapur in 1986, the 500th appearance day of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu, 1486-1986. I wanted to go, to be there also but I was thinking: ‘better I stay in India’. However, in my heart I was feeling that this is Maya, this is my personal plan, though I liked the idea. By your mercy and Krishna’s mercy my parents bought me a ticket to France to visit them after having been away for ten years. In France I sold some of my stuff to collect for my ticket to reach India. In my mind I was thinking ‘I have nothing to do with Peru, so better I stay in the Holy Dham doing service there!’.
In Mayapur I was looking for the opportunity to have darshan with you, Guru Maharaj, to ask you permission to stay there to do service, but even before I could ask you gave me the answer. One South American devotee, Sudama, from Equador, was arriving and giving dandavat pranams to you. You embraced him and I said: ‘Guru Maharaj, Sudama became a devotee in Cusco, Peru’. You turned your head to me and, pointing with your finger at me, you told me loudly: ‘this is why I tell you that your service in Cusco is so important!!’. So, what to do, no way to ask you to stay in Mayapur.
Finally, after so many difficulties I returned to France to convince my parents to give me a plane ticket to return to Peru. I was in the plane, dressed in the saffron dress of a brahmacari in an airplane of the Russian Aerofloat communist airline company, taking off from Luxembourg, when a thought came in my mind: ‘maybe Guru Maharaj is in Peru’. It was May 1986. As I arrived in Lima airport and was waiting in line for customs, a small boy who was shining shoes of the people told me: ‘you are a Hare Krishna, the devotees are there with the Guru, at departures!’ So I ran and ran, just in time to fall at your feet, Guru Maharaj and you gave me your garland, telling me: ‘oh you came back to Peru, very good, very good’ and you left to take your plane. What an arrangement of Krishna, what mercy! Really, you are my Guru; the external manifestation of Paramatma… the voice in my heart.
In October 1986 you visited us again, I was the vice president of the Cusco Mandir. In a meeting with you I was revealing my mind to you, explaining how I was feeling about a new devotee in the temple, Bhaktin Elizabeth, although I was trying to continue as a brahmacari. You asked me: ‘how old are you?’ –’thirty-four, Guru Maharaj’ You told me: ‘why you don’t get married now!!!’ I was shocked but you explained to me very nicely how so many devotees after Srila Prabhupada left this world came with the philosophy that it was Maya to be married. And how so many devotees left and others got married at age fifty and have babies at that age, etc etc. You explained to me that I should act more according to my nature, to accept the reality, even if it would be more difficult and not to practice false renunciation. Again you were right, Guru Maharaj, in your advise. Bhaktin Elizabeth got intitiated at that time and became Isarani Devi Dasi.
In February 1987 you married us in the Barranco temple in Lima, before Sri Sri Radha Madhana Vihari. You gave us a special instruction: ‘try to be exemplary Grhastas’ So much mercy again and again, Guru Maharaj.
In January 1988 our son Syamasundar was born. In January 1990, Devaki, our daughter, was born. They grew up in the community of devotees, really happy. They were waiting for the end of the long holiday period at the end of summer to go back to Gurukula. This never happened to me when I was going to school!
Later, one time in Lima airport, Devaki, then 13 years old, asked you, Guru Maharaj, with a lot of enthusiasm, this question: ‘can I go to India too?’ You looked at us, Isarani and myself: ‘yes she can go with some senior devotees’. So, at age 14 in 2004 she was in Mayapur at the big festival of the installation of the Panca Tattva and also she was enjoying to be in Vrindavan, especially in front of Sri Sri Radha Shyamasundar, where she asked for the benediction to return to Vrindavan.
At age 15, in 2005, you accepted her as your disciple, as Devaki Mayi Devi Dasi. You asked her: ‘you are really young. You don’t want to continue your studies, in university?’ She replied: ‘no, Guru Maharaj, I want to be a devotee’. From childhood Devaki often surprised us, how she was a natural devotee; enjoying dancing Bharatanatyam dance, playing in dramas and later organising the youth for the temple decorations for the big festivals.
At age 17, in 2007, she got married with Ekanath Gaura, the leader of the South American bus tour, or Festival of India. This year she was traveling around the world, when Ekanath Gaura was one of your main servants. She even came to Australia, to Govinda Valley. I saw her, she was so happy! So much mercy she received from you, Guru Maharaj.
From October 2008 when you, Guru Maharaj got the two strokes, Ekanath and Devaki were trying to help you, in Bombai in the Hinduja hospital and after that in the Bhaktivedanta hospital. You, Guru Maharaj was telling us that Devaki Mayi was a simple and sincere devotee.
Even though we were desiring that she would do more and more service in this world, Krishna had a different plan for her. She passed away after a car accident on the 4th of November 2010, at 20 years of age, surrounded by devotees chanting the Holy Names of Krishna. You, Guru Maharaj was leading the Kirtan through a cellphone. It was certainly not an ordinary death. You said: ‘I am very pleased and I know that she has pleased Srila Prabhupada also’.
You told us, looking at Isarani and myself: ‘you are so fortunate’ –‘yes, Guru Maharaj, it’s true’ I thought, ‘even if this is really hard sometimes. It’s true, because this is the proof that the process of Krishna Consciousness that Srila Prabhupada gave us is working; it’s only by Krishna’s grace that Devaki was born between us.
For myself I have seen in my life, in these 26 years of service in Peru in Arequipa, Cusco and Lima, there have been so many arrangements by Krishna, only because we were trying to please you, Guru Maharaj and Srila Prabhupada. Now, again in Australia, trying to help the Govinda Valley project from November 2006 and recently the Heart & Soul Café, here in Cronulla.
Guru Maharaj, you have been going through so much trouble with your health, and still are doing so, to continue to please your spiritual master, Srila Prabhupada and to continue to push us, your disciples.
Dear Guru Maharaj, you are truly our inspiration, to continue, over and over again, even if we have to go through more struggles and difficulty.
Guru Maharaj, you are our guide, our hope, our connection to Srila Prabhupada and all the Guru Parampara.
You are our representative of Krishna, our really dear Acaryapada!
Please, Guru Maharaj bless me to be free of all desires for personal fame and so to be a genuine representative of you.
Thank you again and again Guru Maharaj for so much mercy.
All Glories to you Guru Maharaj!
All Glories to Srila Prabhupada!!
All Glories to the Sankirtan movement of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu!!!
Yours in your service,
Kanu Pandit Das
Isarani Devi Davi
Our son Syamasundara and family and
Our daughter Devaki Mayi Devi Dasi.
